Sadhguru Jaggi Vasudev, spiritual leader of the ISHA Foundation, urged the Indian government on Wednesday to “stand up and act at the earliest” for the safety of minorities in Bangladesh, as local media reported that Hindu houses and business establishments were attacked by mobs and their valuables were looted in at least 27 districts.
Sadhguru’s reaction comes as yoga guru Ramdev decried the targeted attacks on Hindu residences, temples, and businesses in Bangladesh on Tuesday, urging the Centre to do everything diplomatically and politically possible to defend the neighbouring country’s Hindu minority.
Sadhguru stated that the atrocities committed against Hindus are not just an internal concern of Bangladesh, and that “Bharat cannot be Maha-Bharat if we do not stand up and act at the earliest to ensure the safety of minorities in our neighborhood.”
“What was part of this Nation unfortunately became neighborhood, but it is our responsibility to protect these people -who actually belong to this Civilization- from these shocking atrocities,” Sadhguru wrote on social media platform X while sharing a news report with the headline “Hindu houses, businesses attacked in 27 districts”.
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‘Well-planned attacks’: Ramdev
Ramdev termed these “well-planned” attacks by fundamentalist forces as “shameful and dangerous” and called India to do all it can to protect them. “I fear that India will need to remain vigilant so that the honor and dignity of the mothers, sisters and daughters of our Hindu brothers are not at stake. The entire country will have to stand with its minority Hindu brothers with full strength,” Ramdev told news agency ANI.
Pointing to India’s role in 1971 Bangladesh Liberation war, Ramdev said, “We helped create Bangladesh; if we can create Bangladesh, we must show our strength in protecting Hindus living there.”
The co-founder of Patanjali Ayurved said some individuals in India were trying to incite unrest by raking up issues over caste, religion, and reservation. Such attempts he said are “threatening the nation’s unity and integrity. We must counter these efforts with strength,” he added.
Reports suggest extremist forces in Bangladesh targeting the Hindu minority by taking advantage of the emerging political situation. The country’s Army is under the process of forming an interim government after former Prime minister Sheikh Hasina was forced to resign and flee the country after anti-quota protests, that turned violent, demanded her resignation.
Bangladesh Hindu Buddhist Christian Unity Council (BHBCUC) has said around 200-300 Hindu homes and businesses have been vandalised since Hasina fled to India on Monday. Around 15-20 temples have been attacked and 40 people injured, the group told news agency Reuters.
External affairs minister S Jaishankar had expressed similar concerns on the safety of Hindu minorities in Bangladesh while making a statement on the developments there.
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Source: HT
